Saccharine Surprise
by WinterWhirls
Summary: It's Olivia's birthday, and she feels a certain someone has completley forgotten. Little does she know that she's in for a sweet surprise! Elliot/Olivia
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey everyone, I hope you all enjoy. Leave a review!

Summary: It's Liv's birthday…

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. Anything you recognize isn't mine! (:

Rating: T for language and (squee!) future E/O moments.

Olivia had barley been awake ten minutes and she already knew that her day would be outlined with petulance and coloured in with irritability. Because, as everyone knew, another birthday meant you were another year older.

She showered and got ready; all the while grumbling that birthdays should stop once you hit forty. It wasn't that she was particularly _old_, but she was definitely a decade older than she was when she first met Elliot.

And that, she realized, was the stem of her sour mood.

Because Elliot had been with her for a whole decade and not once, _once _had he wished her a happy birthday. It just wasn't something he did. To her, or anyone else, for that matter. Still, it bothered her. She wondered if he even knew the stupid date on which she was born. Would it be so hard, really, to remember that November fifteenth was a special day for her? Hell, she remembered _his _special day, but no matter how much she tried to get him to _take a hint_, he acted like his brain was thoroughly emptied. And she was seriously starting to believe it was.

Part of her, a very, _very _small part of her, to which she rarely paid attention, was telling her that maybe this year his eyes would fall on her desk calendar, and the maybe he'd get a clue. But the rest of her was scoffing off about how he was probably too busy reading

"_A Guide To Responsible Parenting at forty-seven_".

Oh, yes, she was going to be a royal bitch today…

It wasn't just that nobody wished her a good one, it was more that it made her feel even lonelier than usual. It made her realize that she really didn't have anyone who cared enough about her to keep track of those things. It made her realize how painstakingly careful she'd been not to let anyone close enough to her to develop that kind of relationship with. And how damn wrong she'd been to protect herself from heartbreak.

And, hell, now she was kind of past the age of going out and hooking up. Screw kind of, she was well past it. Plus, she didn't feel like bringing home some drunken thirty-something year old that was _way _to enthusiastic about getting lucky.

And what she really wanted was to bring home Elliot for her special birthday celebration. A devilish smirk plastered itself onto her face as she applied her makeup.

Her outlook on the day brightened considerably at that thought, and there were suddenly little steams of golden sunlight shining though the cracks in the thick, cotton ball storm clouds that were threatening to rain on her birthday celebration.

Of course, all that changed the moment she entered the squad room.

"Hey, Liv." Elliot was already sitting at his desk, Santa Clause mug of warm coffee resting in his left hand. Hers was already steaming on her desk, ready to be drunk. And even though Elliot had at least acknowledged her presence, he hadn't even looked up from his report.

And that just served to thoroughly piss her off.

Huffing, she slung her jacket over the back of her chair with maybe a little _too _much force. As she sat down, she wished she'd purchased that orange stress ball she'd seen at the store the other day. But, stress ball or no stress ball, there were still reports to be handed in, and phone calls to make.

And stress ball or no stress ball, Elliot was very damn lucky that she'd been able to contain herself. She was torn between decking him and jumping him. She froze, trying very hard to convince herself that her mind had _not _conjured up those thoughts.

Elliot was going about his business as usual, the same thing he did every year on her birthday. Maybe he did it purposely, she thought. Maybe he just ignored her birthday for the sake of knowingly getting her riled up, and then spent his evening laughing at her mental insecurity.

No, she corrected herself, Elliot wouldn't do that. He may have done some unintelligent things over the years, but Stabler wasn't stupid. And he wouldn't purposely do something to hurt her. No, Elliot was just…well, _Elliot_.

"Hey, Liv?" He called her name, and she considered ignoring him, thus letting him know she was pissed. But she decided against it. If he was going to remember her birthday, she wanted him to figure it out on his own.

"Yeah, El," She answered, adding a dash of exasperation to her tone, acting like she was in the middle of something and really didn't have time to talk to him. He smiled at her like he had some sort of inside joke, and she figured that he'd read her. Because they both knew she would do anything to get out of paperwork.

"What's the date? The sixteenth?" He had a pen ready, and her heart almost jumped into her tight throat. Would this jog his memory?

"The fifteenth," She answered in an even tone, trying not to betray how much she was feeling at the moment. In her haste to cover up any dumb expression she might be wearing, she forgot that her eyes were still fixed on him.

"Thanks." He said, his eyes darting down to his paper and then back at her and down again, like he was thoroughly confused. Or creeped out. She felt her blush rise to her cheeks, and hid her face. As soon as the embarrassment wore off, disappointment took its place. He hadn't remembered. She's told him the damn date and everything and he hadn't so much as flinched.

She chastised herself for getting her hopes up. Why would this year be any different? Unless someone had enlightened him as to what day her birthday was, he was still clueless.

"Liv?"

"What, El!" She kind of sucked at hiding her irritation that time. Elliot sat back in his seat, arms folded over his chest, smug smile and raised eyebrows; silently telling her to chill the fuck out, in a way only a Stabler could pull off.

"I just wanted to know if you were up for a drive. I've got to get something upstate, thought you might want to get away from paperwork for a bit."

She narrowed her eyes. It was a trap. She knew it. Elliot never did that kind of shit.

"What?" She blinked twice, impatiently waiting for him to explain.

He chuckled, making fun of her confusion. Then he stuck a handsome smile on his face. The kind that gave her an urge to kiss it off him. And then it turned mysterious. "I've got to get something and I'd enjoy the pleasure of your company today. Better?"

She ducked her head as, yet again; a deep red stained her cheeks. "Yeah, okay." She spoke softly, her throat tight with an emotion she couldn't quite place. "Let's go."

Elliot smiled and pulled on his jacket, and she mimicked his actions. Side by side they strode out of the precinct, both detectives with pleasant expressions plastered on their face, if only for the sake of the public.

But as natural as walking beside him was, Olivia couldn't help but think something fishy was going down. He was definitely up to something. Something she wasn't going to be let in on. Something he wanted her to be there for.

Something about her, something about today.

She totally couldn't help it when a shudder of excitement coursed through her body.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed! I always greatly appreciate any and all comments! This chapter kind of kicked my ass, though…lol. Anywhoo, here we go again, please kindly leave me some feedback at the end! Thanks!

Olivia was getting more and more suspicious every single minute that passed on the clock built into the dashboard. Elliot had yet to speak, and whilst Olivia was trembling from something she couldn't quite blame on the autumn chill, Elliot was far too relaxed than she would have liked. It was _her _birthday, after all, wasn't _she _supposed to call the shots, wasn't it _her _choice as to how the day played out? She vaguely remembered her mother, on Olivia's eleventh or twelfth birthday (and miraculously sober), stating that since it was her birthday, Olivia could choose what they did that day. If Elliot had the same insight as her mother, then maybe they'd be eating lunch at Munroe's, rather than speeding down the freeway, probably faster than was legal.

But then it was with a wave of disappointment and misery that she remembered, in an unhappy jolt to her memory, that Elliot had no idea that it was actually her birthday.

Nope, no fucking clue.

For all he knew, she was unreasonably pissed off at him because she was PMSing. And after that thought, she did nothing to enlighten him because she figured he deserved her pissyness all too well.

Elliot was tapping the steering wheel nonchalantly, following to beat of the song that was currently playing on the radio. His eyes were fixed on the road, which she liked, because she was then free to shoot daggers into him with her stony glare without him noticing.

Olivia was trying very, very hard not to slam her hands down on the dash and tell him just exactly _why _she was acting like a fucking ice queen. But she figured that wouldn't really be fair, since he wasn't actually doing anything all that horrible to her. Pulling a spaz on him would only serve to get him thinking she was mentally deranged. She _could _always blame the PMS, but she wasn't all that sure he would buy into it. And _then _who would be embarrassed? Exactly.

"Hey, Liv?" Elliot asked her, eyes darting her way for a second before returning to the road.

"What." She now had a crick in her neck from how fast she spun herself to face forward when he had spoken.

"Are you okay?"

Oh, yeah. I'm fine. I'm fucking _great_.

"Yeah, I'm fine." No! I am most definitely _not _okay!

"You seem really quiet."

"There's nothing for me to talk about." She replied flatly.

He smiled slightly, just the corners of his lips tugging up by about a centimetre, proving that her earlier theory that 'he was hiding something' was right. And _damn_ if she wasn't dying to know what it was.

"Oh, on the contrary, there are plenty of things to say."

All right, wise ass. "What do you want to talk about, then?"

"They say it's going to snow soon, you know."

The weather? The fucking _weather_? _Really_, Elliot? _Actually_? She nearly burst out laughing, incredulous. "Is that so?"

"Oh, yeah, at least three centimetres." His tone was serious, but his facial expression revealed the painstakingly obvious. He was playing her. Like a fucking musical instrument.

"Okay, El. Cut the crap. What's going on? Where are we going? What are you hiding from me?"

"And here I thought you trusted me?" He replied, an expression of amusement etched into his handsome features.

"I do!" She defended herself. He knew she trusted him, it was one of those things between them that just _existed_, it's presence always know, yet unspoken.

"Then no more questions, okay?" He turned and grinned at her. She narrowed her eyes and glowered. He snickered. Damn him. Yet, she should have known that her "_don't you fucking mess with me_" glare wouldn't work on Elliot like it did on other _normal _males. Or maybe he was just so damn familiar with her that he could call her bluff from miles away.

"I can tell when you're hiding something, Stabler. I'm getting to the bottom of this." Birthday or no birthday, it was something to keep her entertained on this prolonged car ride.

"Oh, well, in that case, knock yourself out." He said, adding a very irritating chuckle on the end of his sentence. Damn it! He was supposed to be nervous, for crying out loud! He was supposed to be scared shitless that the detective in her was going to figure it out!

Olivia huffed her aggravation and turned to face the window, arms crossed over her chest. She muttered under her breath, "And here I thought today was supposed to be full of joy." Yep, definitely hit the mark, El.

"What did you say?" Elliot asked her, leaning in to catch her phrases.

She nearly jumped, not at all realizing that she had spoken aloud. Angrily, she muttered to him, "Nothing. Butt out."

Elliot tried unsuccessfully to hold in his laughter. He let the sniggers bubble out his lips, and was infuriatingly irritating as his chuckles turned into actual laughter.

"Shut up! Don't you fucking laugh at me!" It was official; there _was _one thing she actually hated more than birthdays.

His annoying humour died down, and he laid a hand on her thigh, unintentionally sending a thousand little shivers down her spine, and sending her heart rate reeling at his proximity. He ran his hand, searing with heat, down to her knee and back up. Oh, God, he'd be the death of her.

"Olivia Benson is pouting. How can I not laugh?"

"I'm not pouting!" Only the immature pout. Not her. No, sir. And even if she was (which she swore she was _not_) she had damn good reason to. As well as forgetting her birthday, Elliot was being a total ass.

He didn't reply, but opted instead for turning on the blinking taillight, signalling that he was turning to the right. And Olivia was ready to jump for joy that she wouldn't have to stay in any confined space with him for any longer. Partly because she was just _so _pissed, partly because her passion was being directly channelled into getting her really turned on by him.

All in all, she really needed space to calm down.

Elliot drove a few more blocks through the downtown of the area, and then stopped in the parking lot of a plaza with at least a dozen stores.

"I've just got a few things to get – why don't you go grab lunch?" He looked at her, awaiting her undoubted compliance.

Yeah, sure, Elliot, drag me out here and make me pay for lunch. "Yeah, okay. I'll be back in ten."

"Twenty. Be back in twenty. Minimum."

What the fuck? "Why?"

"Just _do _it, Olivia," He sounded annoyed. Served him right, driving her crazy in the car.

"Okay…" She eyed him, letting him know that she knew damn well that something was up. "See you in twenty, then." And she undid her seatbelt, got out, and couldn't leave the parking lot faster.

She had been searching for some sort of hotdog stand for the greater part of fifteen minutes, getting increasingly agitated as the minutes wore on. She hated being somewhere where she didn't know her way around. And there were plenty of people eyeing her. Shit. She hated when people paid too much attention to her. She hated being without Elliot, period, no matter how contradictory she was being by admitting that.

And then she spotted the perfect lunch opportunity, a small bakery that she had gotten a whiff of several paces back. It smelled so delicious that her mouth started watering.

After purchasing their food, Olivia started the trek back to the car. She hoped to God that she could remember the roads that she had taken in order to get to the bakery. Luckily, that cop in her had pretty good instincts, and said instincts surfaced the moment she called for them. She had no worries finding her way back.

And twenty-three minutes after parting with him (according to her watch), Elliot strode out of a small store on the end of the plaza called "Teresa's Jewelling".

Now Olivia had been to a _lot _of jewellery stores, busting her rent on many, _too_ many, pretty things. But never had she heard of Teresa's. It looked expensive and fancy, but just like any other Jewellery store she had set foot in. She wondered what the hell Elliot had needed to come all the way out here for. There were plenty of nice places in Manhattan, and she was miffed that he had dragged her two hours away from work to get something he could _easily _purchase five minutes away.

And then she saw him tuck a little red velvet box safely away in his inside pocket on his jacket. Kathy would be happy tonight, she guessed, sadly. Or Maureen, or Kathleen, or Elizabeth. Maybe even Dickie, if El had purchased a watch. Olivia was very disappointed in fact; because there were so many other people he could have gotten something for. So many people that _weren't _her.

But on _her _birthday? It suddenly made more sense as to why he insisted she come along. And why he insisted on her twenty-minute absence. And why he was tucking the box away where she couldn't see it.

But Olivia was so used to having her dreams shattered, that she instinctively protected herself, pulling her hopes back down from where they had been floating, high in the sky.

When Elliot unlocked the car from across the lot, she sunk into her seat, feeling more deflated than she'd felt in a long time.

After a minute, Elliot joined her in the front.

"D'you find something good?" He asked, and Olivia couldn't help but wonder if he was acting a little _too _innocent.

"Oh, yeah. A very nice bakery just down that way."

"Mmmm, making me hungry."

"Here," Olivia said, reaching down to pull out his sandwich made with freshly backed bread.

But suddenly his hand was covering hers, his face inches away. "Not yet."

She looked at him quizzically, but chose to listen to his words, trying to ignore the little alarm that went off in the back of her mind, telling her something was way off.

Elliot winked at her and started the engine. Jesus, she'd been his partner for ten years and she wondered how he could still be such a mystery.

She'd bought lunch and everything, and he wasn't telling her what the fuck he was up to. She was this close to exploding and asking him why he was ignoring her birthday. But she swallowed her anger and confusion, opting instead on observing the town around her, trying to take her over-active mind off things.

Ten minutes later, Elliot stopped the car in front of a beautiful scenery. The grass was vividly green, and the lake ahead of hit reflected the crystal clear blue of the sky. Off to the side, sitting the shade of a maple tree was an inviting pick nick table, complete with a little fountain spouting water right next to it.

It was perfect. It was the fantasy of any teenage girl who was dreaming of her first date. Oh, shit. She did not just think that. Her heart was going to explode. Elliot hadn't just possibly bought her some sort of expensive jewellery and taken her to the idealistic setting…or had he?


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews! I love them! I hope you enjoy this one…

Elliot just sat there like he expected her to get out, or something ridiculous like that. No way in _hell _was she going to leave the car and sit with him when it was all too easy for her to pretend it was something more. She wasn't ready to die just yet.

For God's sake, the man had taken her to the perfect fairytale setting. Nope, she wasn't going to sit in the sunshine with him…she was going to drive home, get out the vodka, have a shot or five and try to forget how this felt. She was going to try and forget how easily she'd conjured up the image of the two of them eating, joking, laughing…. kissing…. in the sunshine….

Stop, Olivia.

Stop, stop, _stop. _

She halted her mind's wanderings before it could get any farther. Because she was sure that if she delved any deeper into the realms of "Best Fantasy Ever," she'd defiantly let slip something that was much better off left un-slipped.

"El? Shouldn't we be…getting back?"

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "And do what? Paperwork? C'mon, Liv, just enjoy it."

She squeezed her eyes shut. She really wanted to go, to let herself enjoy this moment with him, but there was another part of her, the _rational _part of her, that did not fail to remind her that upon his departure, she'd feel miserable and abandoned all over again. No need to intensify something she was already struggling with.

And she was still mad at him for forgetting her birthday. She was. Honestly.

Only it was getting harder and harder to convince herself of that fact. Because, despite the fact that he hadn't said those two words, he'd been relatively sweet to her all day. And given the disaster their partnership currently was, relatively sweet was the same as "Oh my God, he's Prince Charming," in her books.

Elliot grinned at her and finally took the hint that she wasn't going to make any move, let alone the first one. So, winking at her, he got out of the car, stretched, and seated himself comfortably at the picnic table. And what a sight. Elliot rested, relaxed and of good humour, soaking up the sun under the shared protection of a majestic tree just off to his left. Olivia felt her heart jump into her throat as she realized how much she wanted to be part of that picture. Birthday be damned, Kathy Stabler be damned, she really wanted to be beside him forever. In every photo, in every portrait, she wanted to be by his side, sharing his smile, absorbing his laughter. It was that that made her get out of the vehicle.

She walked slowly towards him, her heart thumping unsteadily. She tried to get a handle on herself once she realized she was probably overreacting and that there was actually nothing to be afraid of. It was Elliot, after all, the same one she had known for the better part of a decade, and he was simply sitting, there was nothing intimidating or threatening about his stance or the words he had spoken.

"Just a friendly lunch," Olivia whispered shakily, trying to slow her racing heart. It wasn't really working, because the thought of Elliot was as frightening as it was enchanting.

"Are you coming, Liv? I'm hungry!" He turned to look at her over his shoulder, and then beckoned her with a confident gesture, no doubt trying to quell her nervousness. She wondered if he knew how she was feeling, _why _she was feeling it. She hoped he didn't think she was just some cook with a severely deranged mind that had a tendency to whisper to her the wrong things at the wrong times. But of course Elliot knew. He could read her like a fucking picture book. And besides, he look way to damn smug to just be in a good mood.

Olivia deposited the bag with their lunch on the picnic table, and sat down across from Elliot. The same Elliot who scowled the second she seated herself.

"How come you're sitting over there?" He asked her, doing a master job at faking being insulted. "I'm not contagious, you know."

"What does it matter, El?" She asked, trying, and failing, to keep the exasperation out of her voice.

He smiled and patted the seat next to him. "I didn't come all the way out here to practically sit on my own, Libby."

Her heart stopped. Libby? _Libby? _Was she going crazy or did that classify as a pet name?

Still trying to get over the initial shock, Olivia didn't notice when Elliot got up and plunked down beside her, pulling out their lunches as he did so. So it was with a great jump that she finally noticed him sitting there, his shoulder practically touching hers.

"Eat, Olivia." He said, when she got caught staring at him, incredulously.

"What?" She caught sight of his extended hand, holding her lunch. "Oh, yeah." She picked up her freshly backed sandwich, and started to eat. They ate mostly in silence, something Olivia was thankful for because she wasn't sure she would be able to handle his newly born friendly conversations and have to force food down her throat at the same time. He would definitely be the death of her. He always has, she realized.

When they finished their food, Olivia delved back into conversations about work, and some cases they had recently been handling, desperate to get back in her comfort zone, desperate to regain control over the situation. Because she'd already had her taste of what it was like with Elliot at the wheel. It was her birthday, it was her rules. Even if her point was kind of ruined because Elliot had no clue. It was enough for today. But then the bastard went and stole the control right back.

"I really though she'd tell us" –

Elliot, who'd sneaked his hand along the picnic table, and managed to get it up to her ear _before she'd noticed_, cut off Olivia mid-sentence.

Or maybe it was that she didn't _want _to notice. She knew it would be her unravelling if she let herself focus on his soft, warm hand.

But then it landed on her hair, tucking it behind her ear and BOOM! Just like that, any and all rational thought jumped on a plane and flew to Hawaii. Her mind was blank. Empty. Deprived of all rational though because Elliot was _touching _her. His hands were on her.

Jesus, she needed to get a grip. Before she did something to really embarrass herself. Like jump him. And no, she absolutely did _not _just think that.

Shaking herself, Olivia drew her eyes up to his. Their blue intensity was focused on her face. Her eyes, to be more specific. And the look he wore sent shivers rocketing down her spine and stars dancing in front of her eyes.

"El, what…"

"Let's not talk about work, okay?" His voice was a murmur, and despite its low volume she swore she felt his breath caress her neck and his words resonated long after inside her brain.

Unable to form words, she simply nodded, her eyes fluttering with the intensity of his.

"Olivia."

Her eyes opened again, she was powerless to stop herself from responding to him. "Yeah?" She was disgusted at how breathy her voice sounded. She'd have been mortified, had she had enough sense left in her to feel so.

"Do you know why I brought you here today?" His voice was soft and his eyes were still glued to hers.

Elliot was gradually getting closer to her. She should have backed away. She was a steam train doing 150 km an hour heading straight for a crash course. She knew it. But she just couldn't find it in herself to lean back, out of his reach. She couldn't make her muscles move. He had her in his trance.

Slowly, so very slowly that she almost screamed as the tension in her stomach threatened to make her explode, he brought himself closer to her, leaning his face in, inches away from hers now.

Olivia knew where this was leading. She'd been here before; she recognized the signs, the signals that said, "If you want to back out, the time is now." And she sure as hell wasn't heading in the "backing out" direction. But seeing as Elliot was always the one to surprise her, he stopped, centimetres short of her lips. His breaths coming out heavy, and landing on her face, dousing her with his marvellous, warm scent. If either of them moved, this moment of renitence, the moment of silence before the blast of the bomb would be shattered, and they'd lose their resistance. Elliot drew slightly back, and pulled his hand up to his breast pocket, pulling out an unmistakable little red velvet box. Smiling, he held it out to her.

"Open it, Liv."

She was dumbstruck, but she did as she was told. She wasn't really in any shape to defy orders. Her mind was way too fuzzy. You command, I respond. That was as complex as it was getting at the moment.

Anticipation curled in her stomach as she popped the lid on the tiny object. And then she was overwhelmed with happiness. Inside, nestled in a little cushion of silk, lay a simple yet gorgeous and heart stopping necklace, with a small diamond pendant hanging at the bottom. She couldn't speak. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't work her way past the utter disbelief that formed in her mind. Elliot. Bought. Her. A. Necklace.

"Do you like it?" He asked, resuming his previous position beside her.

"It's beautiful." She murmured the words, knowing that it wasn't nearly enough to describe how she felt.

Elliot picked up the necklace by its chain, and reached around behind her. Olivia's heart beat rapidly with renewed anxiousness. As Elliot fastened the clasp around her neck, she could feel his warm breath hitting her neck. Another set of unintentional tremors tumbled down her spine.

Looking down, she saw that the diamond sparkled in the sun, rays becoming trapped in its maze of crystal beauty, and being redistributed as a rainbow across any available surface. She was in love with the colours that flew in front of her eyes at that moment. She was amazed at how natural and familiar the necklace already felt as it rested on the skin just over her breasts. She knew that this necklace was never coming off. Not as long as she lived.

And then Elliot's calloused fingers were under her chin, tilting her face upwards. "I'm glad you like it," he whispered, his happiness genuine. His eyes searched hers, questioning, prodding her for permission. Ever the gentleman. And she nodded, just moving her face a fraction of an inch, giving him what he desired. And then, ever so gently, he brushed his lips against hers.

It was everything wonderful. It was pure unexplainable bliss. It was a spark of electricity, a caress of reassurance, and a promise of hope. It was everything _and_ more than she'd ever dreamed this moment could be. She was lost, swimming in the wonder that she felt when he connected himself to her in such a caring, gentle, and yet firm way.

Pulling back, he smoothed the hair on her head with a smile. "Happy Birthday."

And happy it was, indeed.

A/N: This was the last chapter, I hope you all enjoyed this story, and that you please review, it would make my day that much happier! I really appreciate comments. Thanks!


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